MOSCOW, March 13 /TASS/. The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) has started supplying coal to Ukraine, Alexander Potapenko, the deputy minister of energy and coal industry, said at a meeting of representatives of ministries and agencies with the DPR head on Friday.

He said that the DPR had delivered 5,000 tons of coal yesterday and received 5 million hryvnias in prepayment for that shipment.

"The second tranche of 29 carriages was dispatched today. We expect a prepayment worth 10 million hryvnias for this shipment by Friday evening," the Donetsk news agency quoted the deputy minister as saying.